Process of smelting refractory ores and producing ferro-alloys.



UNTTED sTATns PATENT ernten.

EDGAR F. PRreE, 0F NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK. PROCESS or sMELnNe REFRACTORY oars AND Faonucme FERRO-Aunis.

latented.l J une 4, 1907.

Application tiled November 14, 1995. Serial No. 287,343.

To all whom it muy concern:

Be it known that l, EDGAR F. PRICE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Niagara Falls, in the county ot Niagara and State ot" New York, have invented certain ne and useful Improvements in Processes o'l Smelting Refractory Orcs and Producing Ferro-Alloys, ot which the following is a specifica-tion.

According to the present process, a charge ol' a refractory ore and a reducing agent is electrically smelt-ed. as b v an electric are, and the reduced metal or allov 1s delivc'ed into a receptacle which is shifted to 'ithdraw its contents vtrom the pro-duct remaining in the furnace. A series or chain ot receptacles is preferably employed to receive the molten product, each 'receptacle serving in tur'n as the hearth or crucible of the electric furnace. lVhc-u one ol the receptacles is lilled, it. is moved laterally trom beneath the smelting chamber and a duplicate receptacle is simultaneously moved into place.

A suitable arc furnace is lshown in the aeconnnmying drawings, in which*- i Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical.section of the lurnace on the line 1#l. otl Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section on the line 2-2 of' Fin'. l and Fig. 3 'is a longitudinal vertical section ot the lower end ol a {"lrnace having a moditied hearth.

The lurnac-e shown in Figs. l, 2 comprises a stationary, vertical smelting chamber having side walls l ot refractory material such as magnesio or siloxicon tirelfrick, surrounded by u water-jacket 2. Beneath and supporting the lrebrick is a base-plate I, which pret"- erably consists ol: a rectangular steel casting, containing a water chamber. This baseplate has a rectangular central opening which is in alinemcnt with the downwardly-converging lower portion ol the lirebrick walls. The base-platelssupportedon piers-l. Above the l'urnacc and depending into the smelting chamber is a metal hood 5, the upper end ot which is closed by a plate having parallel openings 7 which receive the holders and terminals S, S ol the electrodest), il. A layer l() o l" insulating refractory material is interposed bel-weeu the. electrode holders and the walls ol' the openings. Pipes ll, l2 l'or supplying the charge-.naterials and delivering the reaction gases extend through the topplate.

.Beneath the smelling chamber and movably supported on a met-al plate lI-l vhaving side flanges is a series of receptacles 14. Each ol these receptacles preferably consists'of a, rectangular Watercooled steel' casting having a refractoryr lining, which', when moved into alinernent with t-he rectangular opening in the base-plate 3, constitutes the hearthcr Crucible ot the furnace. The transverse. adjacent edges ot' the several receptacles are in cont-act and the upper edges ot' the receptacles are t'lat and smooth and tit closely against the lower tlat smooth tace ot' the base-plate.

ln employing this turna-ce to carry out the process, the cluirge-materials, tor example a mixture ot silica, iron ore and carbon, are ted into the hood and thence into theI working chamber and are smelte-:l by electric arcs, the electrodes 9, 9 being ot opposite polarity.

The reduced silicon and iron alloy and the, molten' lerrosilicon gavitates into the receptacle l-i which is beneath the smeltiug chamber. W'hen this receptacle is filled., it is moved out from beneath the t'urnacc and the adjacent receptacle is simultaneously moved into position to receive another body ot' the allov. The filled receptacles are discharged as they leave the furnace,A as by inverting them, und are then reaiy tor further use. The movement ot' the receptacles may be cft'ectel either by applying pressure to the empty receptacle at one end ot' the series. orby connecting the several receptacles and applving tractionto the lilletl receptacle at vthe other end ot the series l: desired, the receptacles may constitute an endless chain.

Fig. l shows the lower end ot a. furnace which is identical in its general construction with that oll Figs. 1,2, but which has a hearth consisting ol' an open trough l5, divided trmisversely. into a number ol abutting seetions. 'l`he sections are arranged to slide ou a bed-plate lil, with the llat upper lac-es ot their sides in contact with the lower tace of the furnace base-plate 3. 'l`h'c sections preterably have cooling chambers and may be lined, like thc pan-hearths I4. A transverse water-cmdcd dam or partition lo depends' trom the base-plate 3 and makes close. contact with the bottom and sides ol'l the troughsections, thereby preventing the molten turmtce-product fromtlowing into the incoming section 1'5". ln o' ration, the row ot abutting trough-sections is either continuouslv or intermittently moved along the bed-plate and beneath the open bottom ot the furnace, and the molten product ilows into and fills the trough. "l`he product. in the outgoing lOO * wlnchconslsts in electrically smelting a chargecontaining a refractory ore, a reducing agentV rsection 15 solidiies or becomes sufficiently4 rigid to prevent leakage from the furnace. As each filled section leaves the furnace, its

contents is broken or cut off from that in the succeeding section and it is then emptied and transferred to the rear of theline of sections.

llclaim- .f 1*.l 'The process which consists in smeltmg "ai charge containing a refractory ore, accu- More, means of an electric arc, accumulat- -inga @orly of the product, a portion of said body lfyifng within a movable receptacle and a crtionlwithin 'the smelting chamber, and

shifting the receptacle and thereby withdrawing its contents from the ortion re- `mailling inthel furnace, as set fort i.

' The' rocess which consists in. progress- Lively Sme ting a charge containing a refractory ore, accumulating a body of the product, a portidn of said body lyingwithin a movable receptacle and a portion within the smelt ing chamber, shifting the receptacle and f thereby withdrawing its contents from the portion remaining in the furnace, moving an empty receptacle into position, and supplying' charge-rn'aterialsA as required, as set forth. f l4:. Thepro'cess of roducing ferro-alloys,

which consists in smc ting a charge containing a refractory crepa reducing agent and a 'source of iron, accumulating a body of the product, a portion of s aid body lying within a vmovable receptacle. and a ortion within lthe smelting chamber, and s ifting the refccptacle-and` thereby withdrawing -its contents from the .gprtion lremaining in the furnace., asset fort Thelprocessof producing ferro-alloys,

.- and asource of iron, by means of an electric arc', accumulating a body of the product, a portion of said body lying within a movable receptacle and a ortion within the smelting chamber, and s. 'fting the 'receptacle and thereby withdrawing its contents from the prtion remaining in the furnace, as set forth. 6. The process'of. producing ferro-alloys, which consists in progressively smeltinga charge containing a refractor ore, a reducing agent and a source of iron, y means of an electric are, accumulating a body of the product, a portion of said body lying wit 1in a movable receptacle and a portion within the smelting chamber, shifting the receptacle and thereby withdrawing its contents from the portion remaining in the furnace, moving an empt receptacle into position,and supplying (marge-materials as required, as set forth.

. 7. The process vof reducing ferrosilic'on, which consists in e ectrically smelting .a charge of silica, carbon and a source of iron, accumulating a body of the product,-a.por tion -of said body lying within a movable receptacle and a portion Within the smeltin chamber, and vshifting the receptacle an thereby withdrawing its contents from the.

portion remaining in the furnace, as set forth.

8. The process of roducing ferrosilicon, which consists 1n Sme ting a charge of slllca, carbon and a source of iron, by means of an electric-arc, accumulating a body of thev product, a portion of said body lying within a movable receptacle and a portion within the smelting chamber, and shifting the receptacle and thereby withdrawing its con` tents from the plortion remaining in the furnace, as set fort '-9. The process of producing ferrosilicon,

ssv

which consists in progressively smlting a l charge of silica, car on and a source ofiron, by means of an electric arc,.accumulating`a body of the product, a portion of said body lying within al movable rece tacle and a por.

tion within 1the smelting c amber, shifting the receptacle and thereby withdrawing its contents from the portion remainingin the' furnace, moving an empty receptacle into position, and sufpplying charge-materialsv as re uire, as set orth.

n `testimony whereof, I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses. i

' EDGAR F. PRICE. Witnesses:

G. E. Cox, D. Bimenes. 

